Kill Your Darlings

“Good editing is like good sex,” exclaims editor and director Susan Korda (One of Us). “You create an expectation in your audience – and then you fulfil it.” Tracing finished film scenes from Bonnie & Clyde and Jaws back to the initial “Oh, shit!” experience in the editing room, Korda reveals how the magic of courageous editing can create a gratifying cinematic experience from what initially appears to be a failure. Sharing tools learnt from Walter Murch and Michael Rabiger, she lays bare secrets of the editing room and shows how to “kill your darlings,” the critical ability to surrender preconceived preferences, allowing your film to discover you.

Experts

Susan Korda

Susan Korda edited the Oscar-nominated FOR ALL MANKIND and the Teddy Award winner TREMBLING BEFORE G-D. She was story consultant on FIRST COUSIN ONCE REMOVED, which won at IDFA in 2012 and was shortlisted for an Oscar in 2014. Her directing credits include VIENNA IS DIFFERENT, ONE OF US and the short SALOMEA'S NOSE. She teaches at Columbia University and mentors at the Scottish Documentary Institute at the Edinburgh College of Art and at ifs internationale filmschule köln.